Anybody ever tried walking their cat?

Question

I have recently started to attempt to walk her. Half of the time she tries to slip out of the collar,and half of the time she sits in the grass.She will barely ever actually walk.
When ever people would ask me I was trying to walka cat I would say,"Well,it's nat fair that dogs get to go outside and cats get cooped up all day in the house."But now I think I am starting to get why no one ever walks cats...
So have you ever tried to walk your cat,and what happened?Or what do you think of the idea of walking a cat?

Answer 1

no...my kitty stormy ran away when i went o college. i missmy kitty. he was 15 years old. i am 20 i got him when i was 5.

Answer 2

I tried. Once. And never again. I put a harness on my cats, and tried walking a block. One block is not too much to ask, is it? Well, it was pretty much a drag. Literally. One minute, I'd be patiently trying to talk to my cats about how to walk, the next, they were zooming down the street then winding the leash around my legs. As soon as we got home, my cat barfed up a hairball right on the stairs. So now, I've taken to playing with them in an enclosed space (my backyard) so they can get some fresh air, but not cause any chaos. Cats are pretty much too independent to be walked. It's best that they "walk" themselves! :) Hope I could help.

Answer 3

I have a 9 month old cat and he walks on a harness and a leash. I also had a cat that past away who also walked on a harness. You should get a harness so that you can control her better. How i first got my cat to walk on a harness was to carry him around the area we were to walk. Then when he got confident I put him down and gave no slack on the leash so he would learn to follow my directions. If he would restrain i would (i know this sounds harsh) pull him the direction i wanted him to go EVEN if he was meowing and totally resisting. Every day or so i would walk him... always making sure that it was in the area that i had familiarize him in and taught him. After these steps she should be able to walk on a leash with slack. If you want to go farther, you can teach her heal and (i don't know if you'd teach your cat this... but i did) cross the street. First you teach heal (which is simple; pull the leash hard and you can push her butt down so she sits... if you want, then say "heal." the same way each time..) then i look both ways and tell him "cross the street" and we run across the street. You can teach your cat to run by simply pulling forward on her leash and running which in a way forces her to run. I hope that you can train your cat to be obedient on the leash! And I think that cats should be able to walk just like dogs do!

Answer 4

I sure have tried and it actually worked. Well not all the way he pretty much walked me cause if I tried getting him to go where I wanted him to go he almost slipped out of his collar too. But the most funny part was that we have alot of strays around here and he thought he was the bomb and tried chasing all the cat out of the yard like he was gonna kick some but lol. All the wild cats are like twice his size. It also helps keep him from scratching on stuff in the house cause I would take him by the tree and he would just scratch away.

Answer 5

Yes, start by putting the harness on her when she is inside just acting normal, give her lots of love when putting it on and when it is on. Leave it on for an hour or so a day until she doesn't notice it. Next put the leash on with it, make sure you are ALWAYS there so she doesn't get tangled and hurt, and do the same, wait until she is used to it. Then eventually start picking the leash up and staying near her, not trying to lead her anywhere, just kind of letting her do the leading. Once she is used to that you can start trying to lead her gently, and eventually she will be used to it enough that you can take her outside. It will take patience, but remember cats are much more independant than dogs, so following around a master is something that is harder for them to get used to than dogs.

Answer 6

Yes, I take my cats outside for a walk in the grass and play. I use a harness though, they freak out at first, then in a short time they get used to it. Try holding something out in front of the cat so it chases it and follows rather than pulling at the cat.

Answer 7

Actually I have tried to walk my cat! I got her a harness leash and everything so I wouldn't choke her, that's important!! But I'll tell you I tried it once and only once because she freaked out!!! I think that some cats are okay with it, but definitely not all. If you see your cat acting better about it the more you do it I would keep at it, because maybe she will get used to it. I think maybe they are too independent to be walked, but not sure. Hope this helped:)

Answer 8

Yes, it is definitely possible to teach a cat to walk on a leash. I used to walk my cat all the time, and I still put a leash and harness on him if we go for a ride in the car.

It takes a good deal of patience. Unlike most dogs, you can’t just clip on a leash and go. Let the cat learn each step thoroughly before moving on to the next.

Always use a harness, never a collar. A collar can choke or slip off too easily. A figure 8 harness is the easiest to use with a cat, and hardest to squirm from, when they are inclined.

Start by getting the cat used to the harness. Once you get the harness on (and yes, the first time around, that’s the hard part… though my cat is happy to see it now, it means he gets to go), leave it on until the cat forgets about it. After all the squirming is over, let her eat in it, sleep in it, generally be a cat in it. If your cat likes chasing toys, it’s a good way to distract them and get them used to the feel of the harness. Leave it on for a few days. Don’t let the cat out of the house of course, she could get caught somewhere you couldn’t find her.

After she’s used to the harness, get her used to the leash. Clip it on, and let it go. At first she’ll be very annoyed at this thing dragging after her. She may also decide it’s a new toy to chew on, so watch she doesn’t chew through. Do not leave your cat unsupervised with the leash clipped on. She’ll get caught on chairs, people, and imaginary bumps on the floor. Let her walk around with it for a few minutes, until she ignores it (if she’d rather nap, that play-toy will come in handy again). Repeat this step a few days in a row.

Now you get to pick up the leash. You *don’t* get to lead yet. The cat does. Clip on the leash, follow your cat. Try to keep the leash slack at all times.

Once your cat is bored with you following her around (or just thinks you’re nuts), you get to have a little say in the matter. Very little. As your cat is walking, stop, hold the leash until it goes taut. She won’t like this and will pull. Hold your ground, but don’t tug back… just hold steady. And the very moment she stops pulling *let the leash go slack* again. This teaches her that the pressure is released if she moves into it, instead of trying to get away from it. Do this over and over, but only for a few minutes at a time, and not too many times in the day. Some cats learn this faster than others.

Once she is stopping when you stop her, gradually increase your pull time so that she now has to take a step, and then a few steps in the direction you want. Always follow up by releasing the tension, then let her lead for a bit. Increase the time she is following you and not the other way around, until she becomes confident at it. Make it fun by giving her a treat when you make a certain destination.

All this time, you should not have left the house with her. Once she is following you in the house, then you can move it outside. Start in a controlled area, and go back to simply following her around until she is comfortable. You’ll have to work back up to the point she is comfortable enough to follow you in the big scary world. Some cats don't like to go far, but enjoy the chance to be out. Others enjoy long walks happily. Either way, it's good quality time with your cat.

(Biggest reason not to walk a cat... unleashed dogs... just be aware of any in your area).

Answer 9

I walk my cat all the time. At first he didn't want to, he would just sit on the grass or try to eat it, but then after we started going more and more he got used to it and now I think he likes it. I wouldn't use a collar though, you should a harness---a regular one, not a safety one.

Answer 10

I have a really fat cat so one day I bought a harness and a leash.
We didn't even make it past the living room. As soon as I had the thing snapped on. Kiki went down to one side and refused to move. he just laid there with a what are you trying to make me do cause i ain't gonna do it lady look.Walking this cat is impossible. Its even hard to drag him.
but whenever I need him to stay in one spot so I can do something, darn right I get out that silly harness.
it's good for repeated laughs too

Answer 11

My neighbour had a cat they they took out on a leash and harness all the time. He loved it! Most cats won't, but if you start them young enough, they will get used to it and enjoy it. Probably not as much as a dog does though! lol

I tried it with my cat and she flipped...litterally, she flipped over and over and tried to climb up the wall outside and in the bushes and everything else!

Good luck! :)